RIP Racer magazine (1992-2026)

I'm saddened to learn of this week's apparently passing of RACER magazine, an often wonderful American motorsports magazine that for far too often punched above its weight over 341 issues. 

The premier issue, from 1992

I was an original subscriber and still have the premiere RACER issue somewhere. I vividly recall holding the first issue and marveling at the quality of its paper stock and reproduction. That emphasis on quality journalism and design remained up to the final issue (as seen in the animation above), which I just received in the mail earlier this month. 

The magazine business is brutal these days, as is the business of any printed periodicals. I applaud RACER's ownership for keeping the flame alive for so long, particularly Paul Pfanner, who co-founded the magazine and was involved with the publication on and off until 2025. His personal tribute written Monday indicates the closure was a surprise to him.

"Good night to the magazine I love. Good morning to what comes next," Pfanner wrote Monday. 

The Racer.com website and its race-streaming network apparently will continue to live, although I've found no formal announcement about the magazine nor the digital products. That lack of clarity isn't good P.R., particularly for subscribers wondering whether they'll get a refund for remaining issues. 

The final issue, No. 341I continued to subscribe and cherished RACER's coverage of all kinds of motorsports, but admittedly had grown tired of the a tired rotation of themed issues every year: New Challenges, Heroes, New Technology, among others.

But I had been inspired by the energy new editor David Malsher-Lopez had brought to the magazine this year, broadening its coverage and rethinking the themes. Instead of recapping what had happened on the track, Malsher-Lopz smartly emphasized more coverage of why things happened on and off the track, what might be around the corner, and digging into the sociology that drives the powerful passion that keeps fans returning to the track, their TVs or streaming devices. 

Sadly, it was this post from Malsher-Lopez that delivered the sad news Monday to so many race fans: 

I feel for Malsher-Lopez, who just three weeks ago posted a wonderful editor's note introducing the latest issue that is painfully headlined "New RACER magazine gets into reimagining mode." The post includes a gif highlighting more beautifully designed pages from this final issue:

The closure seems abrupt and, from afar, not very well executed. As I write this, it's still possible to subscribe to the magazine, a dropping-of-the-ball clue that indicates the decision to shutter and related layoffs might have come so rapidly and so deeply that more details might not surface for days or weeks. 

Regardless, I join the Reddit Indycar community in celebrating a publication that was so important to motorsports around the world.